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China will hold a national day of mourning on Saturday for the victims of the COVID-19 outbreak, during which time flags will fly at half-mast nationwide and at Chinese embassies around the world and public recreational activities will be suspended, China's State Council announced on Friday.

A three-minute period of silence will be observed nationwide at 10 am, while air raid sirens and the horns of cars, trains and boats will be sounded.

The national mourning day will be held to express the nation's deep sorrow for the deaths of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives fighting the COVID-19 and people who died because of the outbreak.

As of Thursday, China reported a total of 3,318 deaths and 81,589 confirmed COVID-19 cases. 

Saturday also marks China's Qingming Festival, also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day. It is a tradition for the Chinese people to pay respect to their ancestors, deceased family members and national heroes and martyrs on the day of the festival.

China held its last national day of mourning in May 2008 for the victims of the Wenchuan Earthquake in Southwest China's Sichuan Province, which killed more than 69,000 people.

Fourteen frontline workers in Central China's Hubei Province, including "whistleblower" doctor Li Wenliang, were identified as martyrs on Thursday for sacrificing their lives in combating the COVID-19 outbreak.

The first group of martyrs includes 12 medics, one police officer and one community worker who fought on the frontlines. According to the list, eight martyrs were members of the Communist Party of China. The oldest hero was 73 years old while the youngest was 30 years old. 

Li Wenliang, 34, was one of the eight "whistleblowers" who tried to warn other medical workers of the novel coronavirus outbreak but were reprimanded by local police. He died on February 7 after contracting COVID-19. 

Global Times